Tanning Myth Challenged & Busted

On Wednesday September 14, 2005 the Discovery Channel re-aired an episode of a primetime television show that proved tanning beds DO NOT microwave consumers.

Rick Mattoon, president of American Tanning Institute and Craig Joyner, president of San Francisco-based Great Tan and Sorrento Sun Center assisted the production crew of "MythBusters," in disproving the urban legend about the microwaved tanner.

Mattoon, Joyner, and series hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman challenged the microwaved tanner legend by placing two raw chickens in a tanning bed for an hour.

As anticipated, at the end of the lengthy tanning session, thousands of viewers from across the United States and abroad learned that tanning beds will not affect the tanner beyond the outer layer of the skin.

Mattoon was also given the opportunity to explain to viewers about the science and advanced technology involved in the indoor tanning process.

Although originally produced in 2003, the timeless episode continues to air a minimum of four times a year across the United States and 151 other countries. Discovery Channel has a primetime audience of 601,000 between the ages of 18-49.